“I believe AFFA is applying double standards in this matter. ‘Gabala’ also competed in the First Division last season. In the decision made by the Executive Committee on March 14, there was no mention of a three-year requirement. It was stated that the issue of granting a grace period to clubs playing in the Premier League should be considered. It did not say anything about ‘not having played in the top tier for three years.’ They added this three-year clause later just to exclude ‘Gabala.’ This is quite clear. There is a different approach toward our club.”
These words were stated by “Gabala” sporting director Sabuhi Safiyarli in an interview with Futbolinfo.az, Idman.biz reports.
The official noted that they only learned about AFFA’s concession decisions regarding other First Division clubs – “Karvan-Yevlakh” and “Imishli” – through the media, and they had not received any formal notification: “We read the decision in the press, as no official information was given to us. No explanation was provided for the rejection of our similar request, nor were we asked anything. It’s the federation’s decision. Although we are forced to comply with the requirements, it will be difficult. Our U-15, U-17, and reserve teams will train in Baku. But it is extremely difficult to find proper training and match venues there. We had also written in our letter that we be allowed to dissolve the reserve team so we could focus more on the promising U-19 squad. That would’ve enabled us to provide better conditions. Now, on the contrary, we’ll have to allocate a large portion of the budget intended for other age groups and the academy to the reserve team.”
Safiyarli also touched on the club’s challenges: “As you know, we have dismantled the dormitory system in the academy and imposed certain limitations. Since many of our youth players come from outside the region, this creates significant challenges. We appealed to AFFA asking for a concession for one of our teams, but it was not granted. Now we are forced to send the U-15 and U-17 teams to compete from Baku. Because in Gabala, we can’t provide dormitories, nor can we form a sufficient squad from local players. We only have 2–3 players for the reserve team. Last season, we mostly played with young players, and now those players will be in the U-19 championship. We explained all of this in our letter to the federation and asked to be considered as well. When we played in the First Division last season, there was no requirement for a reserve team, and we didn’t have one. Now we have to build a team from scratch. If other clubs were given a one-year grace period, we should’ve been granted the same opportunity.”
Regarding financial matters, Safiyarli said current decisions have disrupted the balance among clubs: “Maintaining each age group costs at least 80,000–100,000 manats. If clubs were exempted from this obligation, it would mean savings of 300,000–400,000 manats. Having a reserve team increases expenses even further. This decision creates a competitive disadvantage for us and gives other clubs an edge. We are also experiencing financial difficulties. That’s why we canceled the dormitory system at the academy. Although our infrastructure is good, we did not receive the same support as other clubs. No concessions were granted to us in any area. This decision has financially distorted the competitive environment.”
Idman.biz
